Veteran cornerback Champ Bailey commented Wednesday after practice about the Broncos’ young defense coming up this year against three marquee quarterbacks: Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, Detroit’s Matthew Stafford and last weekend versus New England’s Tom Brady.

Not only are the Broncos young on defense, they’re in their first year under the guidance of defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. “We’ve got to play good against the good ones; We didn’t,” Bailey said.

“Those are three very good quarterbacks. They’re probably all Pro Bowl quarterbacks this year. We’ve got to show up when we play against quarterbacks like that. I mean, week in and week out, you see ‘em.

“In order to win in the playoffs, you’re going to see that every week. So we have to play better.”

I chatted for a few minutes at Dove Valley with Broncos tight end Dante Rosario. Here’s his scouting report on Denver’s opponent on Saturday, the Buffalo Bills:

“They’re big up front,” Rosario said. “They have outside linebackers that are like defensive ends, because they made a little bit of a switch from a 3-4. They still have some of (the 3-4) in their package, but they’re more of a three (man) down team now.

“They have talented players in the back end, too.

“We’re not looking at their record ((5-9). We’re looking at them as guys that play on Sunday, and they have good players. We know it’s going to be a challenge. We’re not looking at their record. We’re looking at the tape. And their tape tells us they’re a good team.”

New England’s Nate Solder, the rookie offensive tackle out of Colorado, is now on the other side of the altitude issue.

Judging from an interview with the Boston Herald this week, it sounds as though Solder. a Denver native, is downplaying its effect when teammates ask about playing Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

“At CU, we always tried to make a big deal about that,” Solder told the Boston newspaper.

“But we didn’t win a whole lot of games when I was there, so maybe it didn’t make a whole lot of difference.”

Broncos coach John Fox said earlier this week that Sunday’s Broncos vs. Patriots game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High counts just the same as any other game.

Avoiding the cliche, Broncos receiver Eric Decker said what everybody is thinking — it’s an important game for two teams on top of their respective AFC divisions and hoping to stay there.

“It would be a huge win for us at this point of our season, because (the Patriots) are a tested team,” Decker said. “They’ve been to the playoffs multiple times, they’re playing well this year, and their coach (Bill Belichick) is one of the best.

“We have a big challenge ahead of us, and I think what we’re focused on right now is ourselves and making sure we get better during practice, so we can go out there and compete and give ourselves a chance to win.”

New England quarterback Tom Brady was asked Wednesday by Patriots media if he had noticed the Broncos blitzing more this year with the addition of rookie Von Miller on the edge, to go along with Elvis Dumeril:

A bob-and-weave interview exchange between New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick on Wednesday during Belichick’s teleconference with media who cover the Broncos:

REPORTER: “Were you considering drafting Tim in the first round in 2010?”

BELICHICK: “We evaluate all the players that are draft eligible, every year. The way the draft unfolds, we make the decisions in each of our picks for what’s best for our football team. We do that with every pick, every year.”

REPORTER: “Did you have a first-round grade on him, Bill?

BELICHICK: “I’m not going to get into what our grades are on individual players. But obviously, we scout everybody. I have a lot of respect for Tim. I have a real high opinion of him. I think everybody knows that.”

If it weren’t for Aaron Rodgers, we might be talking about Sunday’s Broncos vs. Patriots matchup as a battle of NFL MVP contenders. (Well, assuming voters would logically choose the player who was most valuable to their team, as opposed to the best player overall, but we digress).

Still, with Tim Tebow lining up opposite Tom Brady, it sets up an intriguing matchup. Fans and critics will be able to compare two wildly different styles and skill sets. And if you think any possible outcome will actually quiet either critics or fans of either QB, you’re nuts.

Detroit starting quarterback Matthew Stafford will be officially listed as a limited participant in today’s practice in Michigan.

But it still very much in the air if the former No. 1 overall draft pick will be able to play Sunday against the Broncos.

“To be determined,” Detroit head coach Jim Schwartz said Wednesday, laughing while on a conference call with Denver media.

Stafford suffered a sprained ankle last week against Atlanta. Reports out of Detroit today said backup Shaun Hill took the quarterback reps, though Stafford was on the field for some jogging and light throwing.

“There is nothing we can do to rush it, or to slow down what’s coming on Sunday,” Schwartz said. “We just have to take it as it is, and know that if we get Matt out there it’s a good situation for us, amd if Matt can’t go, we’ve got a good backup in Shaun Hill that will be ready to play.”

Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck surely has a career in broadcasting ahead of him should he want it whenever his NFL career concludes. (If he keeps playing like he did last Sunday against Baltimore, that could be a while.)

At the end of Matt’s conference call with Denver reporters Wednesday, he was asked if his brother ever said anything on TV that made him mad.

Matt said he never felt personally insulted by any of his brother’s analysis, though he did fee pain as a result of his brother’s analysis at times. Matt recalled his brother “calling out” the Cowboys before Dallas and Seattle (Matt’s old team) played on Thanksgiving 2008.

“That didn’t sit too well with DeMarcus Ware,” Hasselbeck said.

Ware sacked Hasselbeck three times in Dallas’ 34-8 win, each time making sure to remind Matt that he didn’t appreciate what his brother had said.

“I think I should get extra points on my quarterback rating for having to deal with that,” Hasselbeck said, laughing.

Let’s all say thanks to the NFL scheduling Gods for giving us Broncos-Bengals this week, if only so I can repost this video:

I was packing up my things, getting ready to head to the locker room at Paul Brown Stadium after Cincinnati had taken a 7-6 lead late in the 2009 season opener. I sure am glad I was still in the press box when that play happened — it is, without question, the craziest play I have ever seen live. Gus Johnson’s play call on CBS only enhances the memory.

We asked Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton about that play this week, and he remembers it just as fondly.

“It was a crazy game and how it came down. They’ve got a good defense on that side of the ball, and they played us tough the whole way and really had us down. To throw it over there to B-Marsh and to see Stokley, who is a good friend of mine and one of the luckiest individuals I’ve ever met, to see him and running into the end zone, it was a special day,” Orton said.

That win was the first of the Josh McDaniels Era, and kicked off that 6-0 start. Perhaps, it was the high point, too.

Dalton completed 10 of 15 passes with a touchdown while helping the Bengals defeat the Cleveland Browns, 27-17 in his NFL debut last week but didn’t play in the second half because of a wrist injury. During practice Wednesday, Dalton was flipping the ball around with his left hand.

Veteran super sub Bruce Gradkowski played the second half against the Browns and also threw a touchdown pass.

It sounds likely that Bengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton will be able to play Sunday against the Broncos.

Dalton had to leave his first game Sunday after getting hit with a helmet on his wrist/forearm. An x-ray was negative, and Dalton will return to practice on a limited basis today, coach Marvis Lewis said on a conference call with Denver reporters Wednesday morning.

Let’s check in and see what’s up with the Oakland Raiders this week, shall we?

According to the Oakland Tribune, tight end Kevin Boss appears unlikely to play Monday against the Broncos. Boss was the Raiders’ big free agent addition this year after the team lost Zach Miller to the Seahawks.

Kyle Orton has one year left on his Broncos contract. Is that enough time to reach the playoffs?

The Denver Post on Thursday will release a 16-page Broncos and NFL preview, breaking down team needs and John Elway’s vision for where the team will head. Find it in a special print section and online at denverpost.com/broncos.

The Chargers were one of the most active teams in free agency, signing 13 veteran players. Before the 2010 season, the Chargers signed only five veteran free agents. If they get a contribution from safety Bob Sanders (age 30) and linebacker Takeo Spikes (34), the Chargers will return to their familiar perch atop the division. Prediction: 10-6

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs took a slow, steady approach to training camp this year. That strategy will be beneficial if they stay healthier than their AFC brethren. The bigger issue for the defending division champions is the constant rumblings that coach Todd Haley and general manager Scott Pioli are butting heads — a sure recipe for failure over the long haul. Prediction: 8-8

From the San Francisco Chronicle: Punter Shane Lechler has been one of the Raiders’ best players for years. Did you know he’s also now the team’s third quarterback now that rookie Terrell Pryor has started serving his suspension?

I wrote a story on the Broncos’ 2011 tight end tandem of Richard Quinn and Dan Gronkowski, at least until fourth-round rookie Julius Thomas comes along, for tomorrow’s Denver Post. I got to thinking about how little the Broncos used their tight ends last season and got invested in some research. Here’s what I compiled:

So, Tom Cable, who will be the starting quarterback for your Raiders in Sunday’s game against the Broncos?

That was the first question asked of the Raiders’ head coach this morning on a conference call with Denver reporters. And it was a good one, considering the Raiders’ top two quarterbacks, Bruce Gradkowski and Jason Campbell, are both banged up. No. 3 QB Kyle Boller could play if the neither of the other two are ready to go.

“We have no idea at this point,” Cable said, agreeing that it puts his team and coaching staff in a tough spot.

Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew said Wednesday morning that he is healthy. “There is no injury,” he said on a conference call with Denver reporters.

Jones-Drew did not play in the Jaguars’ final three preseason game and there were reports and speculation that the Jags’ running back was dealing with a knee injury. Jones-Drew last month refuted a report that he had minor surgery on his knee. He had only six carries, for a total of negative two yards, in the first two preseason games.

“I don’t even know where that report came from, to tell you the truth. It came from out of nowhere, I guess some guy wanted to get his newspaper built up. I don’t know how that happened,” Jones-Drew said. “It’s a non-issue. It’s a rest issue. We’ve been working hard since April, and coaches and I decided it was better to rest.”

As one of the league’s premiere running backs, Jones-Drew will provide a serious test for the Broncos’ rebuilt defensive line, which includes newcomers Williams at nose tackle and Justin Bannan at left end, along with returning starter Ryan McBean at right end.

Mike Klis has been with The Denver Post since 1998, after working 13 years with the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. Major League Baseball was Klis' initial passion. He started covering the Colorado Rockies after Coors Field was approved for construction in August 1990.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times. She has reported regularly on the Broncos since joining the staff.

A published author and award-winning journalist, Benjamin Hochman is a sports columnist for The Denver Post. He previously worked on the staff of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, winners of two Pulitzer Prizes for their Hurricane Katrina coverage.